Texas makes big leap in energy efficiency rankings

Illinois, meanwhile, was ranked 10th for its efficiency policies, up from 11th previous year.

Washington state held steady at number eight in this year’s nationwide ranking by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

“If we do a state plan, we can count those things”, Lewin said.

States are increasingly recognizing energy efficiency as a resource. New York ranked 10th nationally. Maryland increased its commitment to energy efficiency in 2015 by establishing new, more aggressive energy savings targets for utilities. So Massachusetts earned a flawless score for its utility programs and policies in this year’s scorecard. ACEEE said the five states most in need of improvement (starting with last place) are: North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Louisiana, and Mississippi, although new efficiency programs in Louisiana and Mississippi mean these states may not be at the bottom for much longer.

Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner and more resilient energy solutions.

So will those less ambitious states get in the game? The 2015 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard provides an annual benchmark of the progress of state energy efficiency policies and programs. The plan aims to deliver a significant financial benefit – to the tune of $8.13 billion in economic benefits and energy savings over three years – and an environmental benefit equivalent to removing 408,000 cars from the road.

“Massachusetts is showing that the principle of deploying least-cost, non-polluting measures to reduce demand really works”, said Amy Boyd, senior attorney for the Acadia Center and member of the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council.

Battling one of the nation’s highest costs of living, Hawaii Energy’s priority continues to be to empower residents with personalized energy information so we can each take action to decrease electric usage and bills. “The State Scorecard reflects these successes through a comprehensive analysis of state efforts to support energy efficiency”. These savings are equivalent to about 0.7 percent of total retail electricity sales across the nation in 2014.

By 2030, the state’s building code shift could cut energy use by about 1 million megawatt-hours per year, according to a calculator built by ICF global, an energy analytics firm that federal regulators use. It also cited the Bond Commission’s authorization of $15 million for energy efficiency retrofits in state buildings.